passes the buck

A form of pass the buck — To transfer responsibility or blame from oneself onto another; to absolve oneself of concern for a given matter by claiming to lack authority or jurisdiction.

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Meanings

verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of pass the buck
Cite this entry
APA

passes the buck. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passes%20the%20buck

MLA

“passes the buck.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passes%20the%20buck. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “passes the buck,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/passes%20the%20buck.

Source: passes the buck on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.